A Place Still
by Desertfyre
Summary: Takes place after 6.22: TMTKTM. AU, I'm sure. A small road trip prompts conversation and Castiel may discover he still has a place.


Disclaimer:  As much as I love Dean, Sam, Castiel or Bobby, I don't own them. Honor belongs to Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble.

A.N:  Happy Supernatural Friday! Tonight is the S7 premiere at least it is for me! I'm excited! Only a few more hours.

This idea came from a tale end of a dream that when I woke up I was thinking about, though most of it just happened as I was typing this out.

I'm hoping that Castiel will be saved. Now I have no idea how they would pull that off, but I'm hoping, okay, I'm assuming ,they are gonna save him some way. I refused to call Castiel evil. He's wayward, misguided…etc…., even corrupted in my book, but I have a problem attaching evil so easily to his name.

Bottom line.

I just wanted a Castiel reunion with the Winchesters. I wanted to write one before the influence of S7, so this was typed out today.

That's the entire reason for this fanfic.

Summary: Takes place after 6.22: TMTKTM. AU, I'm sure. A small road trip prompts conversation and Castiel may discover he still has a place.

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><p>It's been about two weeks now since that day. When Dean looks back at it, it's a wonder that he, Sam and Bobby managed to do what they did. They managed to save Cas, dispelling the souls within him.<p>

And it wasn't easy.

Dean doesn't want to think about it again.

But since that day, Cas has been staying with them at Bobby's. It wasn't like there was much else he could do. He couldn't angel his way away.

No, really he couldn't.

For some reason, his powers were gone. Whether it was temporary or not, remains to be seen, but for the moment, Cas was an angel gone human, or something like that.

Ever since being de-soulled Cas was quieter than normal and that was saying something. He had tried to spare Dean, Sam and Bobby by trying to leave them, remorse and guilt visible, but between the brothers they all but dragged Cas back to Bobby's with them.

Neither one, wanted to let him out of their sight.

When they first arrived, Castiel said a few things, especially to apologize a lot. Then gradually, he became quieter and quieter until he quit talking all together, except bare minimum, that was usually to answer a question that was more than a yes or no. Then he went from spending time sitting around the house to sitting on Bobby's porch, just staring into nothing, day in and day out.

Dean had become worried, but Sam reassured him, that he was dealing with it the way he knew how. Needless to say Sam was the most sympathetic. More like empathetic since he knew what Cas was feeling, since he had been through similar. So Dean trusted Sam, to know where to step in this minefield.

He had often found Sam sitting with Cas. There was never a conversation going on, but he figured neither needed conversation. Sometimes he sat with them, other times he figured, he let the kindred souls be alone. Maybe they had a secret communication code or something, Dean didn't know.

However after about two weeks of this going on, it was beginning to get old and Dean felt it was time to take matters into his own hand.

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><p>Dean gazed out the curtain, he had pulled back a little, eyeing Castiel who was still sitting on the porch, trench coat and all. He had been watching for awhile thinking, as Sam came down the stairs. He stood over his brother's shoulder looking out at the dejected ex-angel (or not).<p>

"I'm thinking a ride is in order", Dean finally spoke up.

"A ride?" Sam blinked.

"Yes, in the Impala. I mean I just got it up and running. We need to test ride it", Dean threw Sam a grin.

The Impala had been in shop for the better part of a month and a half now. It was pure torture for Dean to drive another car. In fact, Sam had been the designated driver. Between trying to get away from Cas and find a way to save him, the poor Impala had be neglected, since they didn't have time to get it fix. However they had more time to spare in getting it fix here lately, and finally, after the longest time imaginable (at least in Dean's head) it was finally fixed.

Sam shook his head, rolling his eyes, "I'm sure since you fixed it with Bobby's help, it's 100% back in rotation."

Dean nodded once, "This is true, but until I feel her purr beneath me, I won't be satisfied."

Sam made a face, eyeing his big brother, "Perhaps, I should let you and the car go alone. You might decided to make out with it or something, either way, I don't want to be there."

Dean grinned and wagged his eyebrows, "Or something."

"Ugh, it's just a car", Sam mumbled.

Dean hit him over the side of the head, "Shut your mouth, Sam. We take care of her and she takes care of us."

"I'm happy the Impala is fixed, Dean, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to hold it's mirror and go skipping through the fields."

"Neither do I."

"Then why are we having this conversation as if it's a woman?"

Dean rolled his eyes and looked back at Cas who hasn't moved an inch. There was silence for a bit, "Hey, Sam, you mind if Cas comes with us?"

"I expected no less."

Dean gave a long pause considering his next question before asking, "You mind if he rides shotgun?" He glanced at Sam.

Sam's eyes narrowed once, though Dean could detect the playful glint in his eyes, "Am I getting downgraded here?"

"Of course not", Dean smiled.

"Hm, giving away my spot…..well since it's for a good cause, okay, just this once I will allow it."

"Thank you."

Sam smiled back. He knew that Dean wasn't downgrading him. And he knew it wasn't a slight, Dean had even ask him for approval. But even if he didn't, Sam wouldn't have taken it as one. Castiel need to see that he was still one of them, and this was a good way to do so.

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><p>Castiel stared out into nothing, as far as he could see. He was lost in this thoughts, the same thoughts that plagued him for the past two weeks. The same thoughts that just pushed him deeper and deeper within himself.<p>

How could he have been so stupid?

Where did it go wrong?

He remembered just about everything when he was soulled. As soon as he injected them in his body and shortly thereafter, he knew it was wrong. He could feel them pushing against him, making him feel things that he didn't want. He never planned to be a god. He never thought to take his father's place when he went in with this plan in the first place. But he could feel them, taking him over, using him for their purposes. And he was trapped, powerless to do anything about it as they made him hurt his friends, his only family. He tried to stop it but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. He could hear them in his head, thousands of voices, laughing at him. And the only thing he could do was pray, pray that he would be saved thought he deserved it not.

So he was shocked when the spell that Bobby found seemed to work. It was excoriating, painful as the souls were ripped from him, from his very soul, were they were leached on like leeches. It hurt.

Oh, how it hurt.

But when the last one was ripped from him, it was a relief. It was a relief to be in control of his own body again, even as he sunk into a slumber. At that moment, if he had died, he wouldn't have cared. It would have been a blessing. In fact he had been expecting it.

What he wasn't expecting was waking up two and a half days later to see three familiar faces. It had stunned him a moment, as he could have sworn he saw concern in each of them. It baffled him, why they seemed to show that emotion. He didn't want to believe it to be true, mostly cause he was afraid that it wasn't. He was afraid that he had been dreaming it all.

But he hadn't.

And to this day, he didn't know if it was a mercy or not.

He didn't know if it was a mercy when they seemed to accept him back with ease. He knew that he disappointed them, Dean especially, but they welcomed him back easily enough.

Then there was the fact that he couldn't seem to angel up. Had he lost his powers? He assumed so. Was he still an angel? He didn't know, but if he wasn't it was a fitting punishment. He had offered to leave them, leave the only family that ever really meant anything to them. Dean blew up at him that day, not that he didn't deserve it. Sam was a little bit more calm about it but he stated his opinion in no uncertain terms:

"_You want to WHAT!" Dean screeched. _

"_Calm down, Dean!" Sam snapped as they were in a motel in the middle of nowhere. Bobby was watching the exchanged silently from his seat at the small table near the window which had the blinds drew shut. _

_Castiel lowered his head once, feeling like a little child, "I said, I will leave. It is only right after everything that has happened." _

"_Just leave, up and go, just like that?" Dean asked. _

_Castiel didn't say anything. _

"_You can't even angel up, anymore, Cas! You can't blink and be on the other side of the world. Now whether it's temporary or not, is another issue, but what are you going to do if you leave? Huh? How are you gonna…..I don't know, live?" _

"_I can figure it out", Castiel murmured. He should be able to figure out that much at least.  
><em>

"_You can't figure out squat, Cas! God, you are such an idiot right now. Who the heck told you to leave, huh? Cause it sure wasn't me." He look at each male in turn as he asked, "Sam, Bobby, either of you tell him to take a hike?" _

"_I don't remember saying anything like that." Bobby shook his head. _

_Sam shook his head, "Me neither." _

_Dean looked back at Castiel who as starting to look very startled, "Exactly, you ain't going nowhere, except back with us to Bobby's." _

_First time ever, Castiel's mouth was hanging open slightly, as if unable to comprehend what is going on, "But…." _

"_No, buts, Cas", Sam injected firmly, "Don't do what I did and run away. That solves nothing." He glanced at Dean who had an unreadable expression on his face. _

_Castiel looked between the two brothers before slowly nodding, "Very well."_

It was different to not get thrown out for doing something wrong, for making a mistake.

No…..it wasn't a mistake, Cas had to remind himself, he knew what he was doing when he was doing it, despite that he hadn't meant for it to go as far as it did. Not that it was any excuse.

He had none. He should have known. Dean was right, he should have came to them, not hide it from them like he did.

If it truly wasn't wrong, then why did he hide it?

A very simple yet complicated human saying.

As an angel, they had the tendency to claim 'angel rights-humans don't understand-whoshotjohn', but maybe if they paid attention to the saying a little more they wouldn't do half the things they do.

He wouldn't have done half the things he did.

He had turned into his brothers. Zachariah had acted on an 'holier than thou' attitude as he perpetuated the apocalypse, even Uriel had that attitude.

And look at what happened to them.

And he had turned into them.

Something he never wanted in any form.

He had learned a lot from humans, particularly Dean and Sam. They had a very simple mind yet that was as baffling as it was sometimes complex, but not necessarily a bad thing he was finding out. His brethren tended to over complicate things. Another reason he was sure his father loved humans so much. They saw things often in black and white and sometimes shades of grey. Angels, however, didn't even have a black and white much less shades of grey. They just tended to do whatever suited the moment.

And he had fallen into a trap he never wanted. He should have been dead for his crimes yet here he was, sitting here staring off into nothing just thinking the same thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him.

Part of him wished for those simple days, when he was just an angel and didn't know or have much dealings about humans. He knew that part of him was a coward. A form of running away he was sure.

But the other part of him, was glad to have known the Winchesters and humans, for perhaps he was better for it. He would hope so. He liked to think so. He knew that Dean thought so, as he told him in a roundabout way.

Castiel blinked out of his thoughts as he felt his shoulder slapped. He looked up at Dean who gave him a small smile, "Come on, we going for a ride!"

He blinked up at him, watching as Dean bounced down the stairs and around the house. Sam took his place and pulled him to his feet. "A ride?" Cas asked finally finding his voice.

"Yes, first time the Impala will be out on the road again."

Another flash of guilt, an emotion Castiel was becoming intimate with. He finally knew a part of what Sam had to deal with.

"Hey, it's fine." Sam shook him once, as if reading his thoughts, "Everything is fine."

Castiel looked at him with a heart-breaking expression, that Sam knew well for it had been on his face more than once in his life. That 'how can it be', expression.

It was then that Dean had poked his head around the side of house and yelled with a wave of his arm, "Yo, slowpokes! Get a move on!"

Sam rolled his eyes once and slung his arm around the former (or not) angel and proceeded to drag him around the house. "Come on, it will be fine and to prove it, guess what?" Not awaiting a reply he answered, "You get the seat of honor!"

Castiel blinked again and had to asked, "Isn't that Dean's spot since he drives?"

"Ok, second honored spot then", Sam chuckled.

Castiel looked up at the taller man with a cock of his head.

"The passenger seat. Riding shotgun." Sam clarified.

Castiel recalled the other times he had been privileged that spot, and that was when the brothers had been separated briefly and he rode there. But only because Sam wasn't there. He shook his head as the car came into view, Dean leaning on it, patting it down, waiting for them.

"The backseat is fine." he stated. He would not intrude on Sam's position. It was not right. He would not do that.

"Get in!" an excited Dean cried as he opened the door and slid in.

Sam stopped and stood in front of Castiel, "You don't have a choice", he said lightly.

Castiel drew back once, "Sam, you always ride there, as it should be."

"Well, today is your lucky day, Cas. You get to see what the hype is about."

Castiel lowered his head, shame prompting him to say, "I have ridden in the seat before."

Sam furrowed his brow, "When?"

Castiel was silent for a long moment, "Long time ago. You and your brother was briefly separated doing the start of the apocalypse."

Comprehension dawned in Sam's eyes, "Ahh, I see." Was all he said and before the awkwardness could build he shrugged and said, "Well, you get to ride there another time then. No big deal."

Castiel lifted his head to tell him it was, when the Impala let out a beep. "People, today!" Dean cried out the window exasperated.

Sam grinned with a laugh, "You heard the man! Do you really want to tangle with that?" He took Castiel arm and dragged him over opening the door.

"Gently, gently" Dean cooed.

Sam leaned down and made a face as he pushed the seat forward before crawling in the back and putting the seat back. "Let's go, Cas."

Castiel looked troubled but found there was nothing else to do but slip into the passenger seat and gently closed the door as not to arouse Dean's wrath. Dean glared back at his brother, "See, he knows how to treat her." He punctuated this with a loving stroke on the dashboard.

"Dean I swear, if you don't put the pedal to the metal, me and Cas are leaving. I'm not going to sit here and watch you carry on with a car. I love her too, but get a grip!"

"He didn't mean it, baby", Dean cooed before turning the key.

Castiel watched Dean's face light up as he said, "Do ya'll hear that?"

"You salivating, yes I do Dean", came flat reply from the backseat.

Dean took the moment to stick out his tongue at his brother who returned the favor before driving off and out of the Singer junkyard. Castiel couldn't help the quirk of his mouth at their antics.

"Is there any place in particular we are going?" Sam asked after five minutes on the road.

"Nope! Just driving around until tonight and then we'll head back to Bobby's."

"Cool", Sam murmured.

Castiel had been looking out the window at the passing scenery without really seeing it. Dean and Sam exchanged a look knowing that Castiel was slipping back into himself.

"So, Cas, what do you think?" asked Dean making said male turn an look at him.

Castiel furrowed his eyebrow, "About what, Dean?"

Dean shrugged, "Dunno, life in general I suppose."

Castiel stared at him unable to process what he was suppose to say.

Dean sighed, "Cas, look. We've let you alone for the past two weeks. I gave Sam some time to be depressed and we have given you some time."

"I'm not…as you say, depressed." Castiel said softly looking back out the window.

"What would you call it?"

"I'm reflecting."

This got a snort from Sam who spoke up, "Yes, I remember those reflecting days quite well."

Dean gave a small smile, "Cas, seriously, you've got to stop "reflecting", then."

"What else would you have me do?"

"Learn and move on."

"Not that easy, Dean."

"Never said it was."

"Cause it isn't", added Sam.

Dean slapped Castiel in the arm, "Come on, we've got a wonderful car, open road and good scenery. If we need to have Dr. Phil, this is an acceptable condition to do so."

"Dr. who?" Castiel asked looking at Dean.

"Yes, Dr. who?" Sam smirked.

Dean glared at him in the mirror, "You know that I'm not that stupid, Sam."

"Coulda fooled me."

"It wouldn't take much, I'm sure." Dean turned back to Castiel, "Never mind, what I'm saying, is that these are perfectly acceptable condition to you know….have chickflick moments." Dean cleared this throat.

Castiel raised an eyebrow, "A chickflick moment…..and that is? Is it a movie of some sort?"

Dean would have knocked his head against the steering wheel if he could while Sam gave a bark of laughter, "What Dean is saying is that we can talk and have emotional moments and it would be okay right now."

"Why would I have an emotional moment? Do you mean the human response of crying?" asked Castiel.

"If it suits you", Sam spoke lightly.

Castiel lifted his chin looking straight ahead. It was the most regal they had seen him be in a long time, "I do not cry."

Dean remarked, "That is more than I can say for Sam here."

Sam glared at his brother, "Don't act high and mighty. You have cried a few time as well."

Well, that ended that train of conversation as Dean rerouted, "What I'm saying, bottom line, is that we all need to talk."

"That implies that someone has something to say", Castiel spoke.

"Exactly, so Cas, what's up?"

"Nothing is up."

"Cas, seriously", at this Sam leaned forward to peer at said male's profile, "You may can fool Dean. God knows, that don't take much", here Dean gave him a small glare as he continued, "but you can't fool me."

Castiel glanced back at Sam before looking towards the road, "What I have done, deserves no forgiveness."

Sam gave a small smile, "I understand that feeling, I still feel that way sometimes, but the wonderful thing about forgiveness it is freely offered ergo you have no say in whether you are forgiven or not."

"Preacher boy is right", Dean nodded.

Castiel glared at the two of them, "I destroyed everything I held dear. Threw it away on a whim."

"Helllllllo! Castiel, look at me, do you remember me? I thought I had destroyed everything I held dear on a whim as well." Sam cried exasperated. Didn't Cas see he was preaching to the choir here?

Castiel struggled to find the words to make Sam realized that his sin was greater. "I am….was an angel. I knew better."

"Did you think it would go as far as it did?" asked Dean seriously.

Castiel shook his head, "No, not that far, but that doesn't excuse it."

"No one is trying to excuse anything. I still can't excuse myself for all I have done, but that doesn't mean that we can't learn from it and try to move on. Or at least get to the point where it's no longer in our waking thoughts threatening to drown us." Sam spoke softly.

Dean glanced at his little brother before glancing at Castiel who was starting to look dejected as he has for the past weeks. Dean thought he saw Castiel slid down in his seat a little.

"You don't understand", Castiel murmured.

"Enlighten us", said Dean.

Castiel looked back out the window, "I was aware when I was….soulled. I knew it was wrong the moment they entered my body. I….they destroyed Raphael but then it escalated from there. I tried to shake them off, put them out, something, but they were leeches on my soul. I should have known that it was wrong. I had doubts, I prayed to father asking for a sign but he sent me none. I threw your words back in your face Dean. I considered you family, and the first time you verbally admitted that I threw it back. Though I knew it was wrong, I threw it back."

"Yeah, you did", Dean agreed softly, "But we are still here."

"You shouldn't be."

"I threw it back as well, Cas. And me and Dean have settled that. A long time in the making but we did."

"That is different, you two are true brothers, you should settle it."

"Oh, please!" Dean breathed, "I'd like to take a moment to channel Bobby here, "Family don't end in blood, boy!""

Sam nodded, "Wow, got the voice in the right direction as well."

Castiel took a moment and looked at the two.

"Like the old man said, just cause you aren't blood doesn't mean you aren't family. You are family. You are like a brother to me and Sam as well. Look at Bobby, he's not blood related but we guard him like family. We would do no less for you now."

"Why?" the question slipped out before Castiel could stop it. He did not understand this kind of loyalty. His brethren, ex-brethren, were loyal, but only when it suited them. If you lost your usefulness you lost your wings and ultimately your life.

Dean rolled his eyes, "What do you mean, why? I ask why not? Look you messed up, big time, in fact! I mean you couldn't have messed up any bigger, if you prayed to your father and asked for a bigger mess-up."

"We are suppose to cheer up not bring him down, Dean", Sam interrupted wryly.

"Give me a moment to complete my thought…." here Dean paused trying to get said train of thought back on track, "Anyway...want to introduce you to probably a new concept for you and a very old one for a human kind: Guess what! Everyone messes up in some respect. Welcome to the wonderful world of human beings!"

"But I'm an angel", Cas murmured, "Or rather I was...I don't know anymore."

Sam looked sympathetic.

"Well, imperfect beings then", Dean amended, "Apparently angels aren't perfect either. I know your brothers weren't, that's for sure. They weren't even tolerable. I mean the one I'd love to re-kill all over again is Zac. I'm so glad I got to kill him in the first place, but if I could resurrect him, just to do so again, I'd be ecstatic!" here he hit the steering wheel, "I mean he was one annoying son of..."

"DEAN!" Sam snapped, "Focus!" He rolled his eyes behind that.

Dean glanced at Sam and Cas before saying, "Sorry. Anyway, everyone messes up. Some more than others. I don't know what it's like in Angel Land but here messing up doesn't mean the end of the world."

"Unless you set off the apocalypse", Sam murmured with a humorless smile, momentarily getting thrown back to a dark time.

"Sam, I'm trying to help Castiel here, I can't help both of you if you go on a guilt trip together. I need a wingman here. Now I need you to focus!" snapped Dean, eager to stop Sam's descent before it got started.

Sam bit back moodily, "I'm not on a guilt trip."

Dean eyed Sam a few seconds before glancing at Castiel who was looking at his lap, "What I'm trying to say, is that messing up, creates a mess, sure, but that doesn't mean it's all hands in. You don't lose everything just because you mess up." Dean paused, "Very rare circumstances that would happen."

"Then this is a rare circumstance", Castiel replied softly.

"That's it!" Dean cried pulling the car over to the side of the road so fast that Sam fell over.

"Warn a brother next time!" Sam hissed as he righted himself as Dean cut off the ignition.

Dean ignored Sam as he turned in his seat as much as he could to face Castiel, fire flashing in his eyes. He was sick of this. He got sick of it with Sam back in the day and he was not putting up with it any more than he had to now. He snapped his fingers making Castiel look at him, "Listen to me, I'm going to go through this once, for your benefit then if you still don't get it, I'm going to get out of this car come around, open your door, drag you out and beat it into you."

Castiel's head twitched on his neck once as Dean continued, "Like I said, I don't know how it is in Angel Land. Maybe you guys don't have enough loyalty in your pinky much less your body. Maybe when you mess up there, it's a termination, I don't know. I don't care. But down here with the mud monkeys as your brothers so fondly like to put it, we do have loyalty. Some of the most low-life people on this planet can be loyal to a fault. Your brothers considered that a bad thing, but I don't. As far as you're concerned, you're upset about what happened. Just like Sam was. You are remorseful and about to drive us crazy, just like Sam was. I learned my lesson with Sam okay? You don't have to push people away because they mess up. Yes, it can take a long time to fix said mess but it doesn't have to unfixable unless the parties want it to be."

Dean took a breath, keeping eye contact with Castiel, "It got to the point where holding a grudge against Sam became too much work. What's worse when he was in hell, all I could think about was how much time I had lost in those early days because I was too busy being angry."

"You had a right to be", Sam injected softly, his voice faraway in remembrance.

"Shut up, Sam and come away from the light of regressed memories", Dean snapped, "What I'm saying is, okay, I could have been angry for awhile but I shouldn't have just continued, especially when Sam here, was remorseful and everyone including the cat knew it. That's why I told him, I was done with all that, new slate and all. I'm not lugging this to my grave." He paused then added, "Again."

Castiel didn't say anything but Dean wasn't through, "Sometimes it easier to forgive and rebuild. Trust me I learned the hard way. You are remorseful, I see it. Sam sees it. Bobby see it. The Impala sees it."

"She doesn't have eyes, Dean", Sam couldn't help but stick in.

Dean glared at him, "If you don't cut it out, you won't have eyes." He turned back to Castiel's whose mouth twitched once, "And I'm not wasting time being angry with you. Yes, I'm disappointed. Yes, I could beat you, alone for being stupid, but I'm not gonna waste my time or energy. I could use that to get laid, you understand. Another thing, you are part of this family and I know it's a different concept than you are used to, but we just don't throw each other way so easily and besides, evil has won enough, we are not just gonna give them win points."

Castiel had to look away this time, until a hand on his shoulder made him look back, "I don't know if you are still an angel or not. But we don't care. Whatever happens you got a place in this family. Any of this sinking?" Dean lowered his arm.

Castiel glanced at Sam before looking away, "I….I knew what I was doing when I brought down the wall."

"Yeaaaaah", Dean drawled, "I owe you a beat down for that."

Sam reached a hand out and touched Castiel's arm making him look up to see the reassuring smile, "I forgave you a long time ago for that."

"I'm still working on it", Dean admitted, "But that doesn't negate anything I said. I've wanted to and have beat down Sam, you get the same honor."

Castiel furrowed his brow and glanced at Sam, "I am confused, is that a good thing?"

Sam shrugged, "For Dean it is."

Castiel turned and studied Sam, "If I had my powers, I could put the wall back up again." Out of habit he reached up and place two fingers on Sam's head. He frowned and concentrated, not feeling anything happening. His frown deepened.

Dean watched unblinkingly.

Sam only smiled gently and pushed Castiel's hand away, "I know if you did have your powers now, you would."

Castiel only looked away, in shame.

"It's not that bad. I mean sometimes, it hurts a lot but, I made it through everything else, I'm not letting this beat me."

Castiel looked back at Sam, "How are you so strong?" he couldn't help but ask the awe and respect in his voice obvious.

Sam glanced at Dean, "Family helps. Not being alone helps. Like they say, strength in numbers."

Dean couldn't help but look out the window at the road, blinking his eyes rapidly. This is why he hated talking about emotional things, it always turns sappy somewhere. It is inevitable.

Castiel couldn't help the small smile as he looked at Dean then back to Sam. "The two of you are the goodness that is mankind. Know that."

Like Dean thought, it always turns sappy.

"Awww", Sam drawled, "Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself."

"You think?" Castiel asked more than serious.

Sam grinned, "Definitely and we are proud and happy to know you." He looked at Dean who was still looking ahead to the road. His eyes twinkling he asked, "Aren't we Dean?"

They got a 'hrumph' sound of affirmation.

"That's as close to a yes, as you are gonna get", Sam whispered conspiratorial to Castiel who nodded in agreement.

"If you two girls are done, are we cool?" Dean asked looking back at the duo.

Sam promptly looked at Castiel.

Castiel looked between the two, cocking his head, "Perhaps, I may learn much more from the two of you."

The Winchester brothers grinned at the former (or not) angel.

"Great, so we can get going? Maybe grab a bite to eat?" asked Dean.

"Yea, but first…." Sam grinned playfully at Castiel and clapped him on the shoulder, "You should know, this will be the last time, you ride shotgun. Enjoy it."

Castiel's mouth twitched as he held back a chuckle. Dean gave a bark of laughter. "I was wondering how long you would last."

"I have to admit, there is more leg room back here. I forgot about that." Sam admitted as he leaned back and stretched out as much as he could.

"Perhaps we should switch now", Castiel offered.

"Nah, then that means we got to get out, exchange and get back in."

"And we all know he's lazy as heck", sniggered Dean. He got an unexpected punch in the back of his seat.

He turned and glared at Sam, "Don't ruin the upholstery!"

"Hey, Cas!" Sam called as they pulled back onto the road.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Do you think that Dean has an unhealthy obsession with this car? He takes care of it like a woman, perhaps better."

Dean growled as Castiel looked thoughtful, "I was not aware that such love for a car was normal."

"It isn't", Sam reassured.

"Then yes, it is unhealthy."

"If I pull over again and throw both of you out and ya'll have to walk back, you will find my love of this car healthy as a newborn."

Needless to say that shut both of them up as they exchanged at smile.

Castiel looked out the window, for the first time noting the scenery. It seemed surreal to him to think that he hadn't lost everything. It was surreal to him to think that such forgiveness was real. He didn't know whether he was a true angel anymore or not, but he knew that he had a place still.

And it warmed his heart as he vowed to never take advantage of their forgiveness.

**FIN.**

* * *

><p>A.N: Thanks for reading!<p>

Maybe, I'll be able to think of a sequel, dealing with the fact if Castiel ever gets his powers back or not. (Probably so, but the question is how? I haven't figured it out yet)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

P.S: An hour and two minutes to the premiere!


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